How amazing is it that something as small as a tooth can color an entire day?  That is my story of Wednesday.  My lower right tooth did hurt on Tuesday but it was removed this afternoon.  Maybe to say it hurt is an understatement.  Twice last night I woke up due to the various pains arising from such a tiny part of my being.  Needless to say my first task on today was to go visit our dentist to beg, plead or even negotiate for an appointment.  You may or may not want to know that God didn't seem fit to grant me good teeth.  No amount of brushing or other oral care ever worked to any degree of success.  To even say it was my tooth that was hurting cannot be accurate as very little of it was left.  This wasn't even an entire toothache.  Thank goodness they let me come in this afternoon to do something about it.  Another sleepless night was a long way from being on my list of stuff to accomplish.  


We seem to have those peculiar blends of the small and the large interruptions in our world.  Hectic is a good way to describe this week so far.  Taking time away from my actual list of goals somehow didn't appear until today.  Pain sometimes moves you to do whatever it takes to remove the irritation.  Even the usual weekly demands had to fall in line with my new priority.  Nailing down some upcoming scheduling would be done between getting ready for the dentist.  Don't get me wrong.  Many good things were done today around here.  It all just required some adjusting to do what really mattered most.  I wanted this pain to go away.  Sleeping tonight will be far less painful than last evening.  So there is a silver lining among those clouds of living in a complex world.


Remind me to thank the dentist along with his assistants tomorrow.  I got in to see him in mid afternoon which can be a difficult achievement.  My small, diseased tooth required amputation from the mouth.  It may be a positive thing that those four anchors below the gum line were really healthy.  But for today they did add to the physical drama of removing that painful piece.  Going to the dentist really doesn't scare me.  I went through those six rounds of chemo so how hard will it be to have that tooth extracted?  My mouth is presently a bit sore from the violence but it is far better than the last 24 hours or so.  It did not stop me from doing those tasks on my list.  It did not limit me from thinking about those demands each week brings.  I was able to just go along despite any swelling or numbing to keep at the work.  Tomorrow we just move into my son's birthday with all of its celebration.  I need to accomplish a few things that are way behind this week.  My prayer is for more than the usual share of divine aid to get it done.


You can choose how to approach setbacks, interruptions or pain as you journey through each day.  God's purpose does not waver regardless of the conditions.  The mouth finally woke up from its numbing early this evening.  Our great task is to remain sensitive to what God is doing each day.  Far too many believers live numb to the Spirit's prompting.  Deciding to remain in line with God's will goes far in being sure we are alive to Him.  You may not get a smoother or a pain free day but you can be sure He is in charge.  Perhaps you end up going to the dentist but even that may have its reasons.  The question will be if you choose to keep your heart open even when life changes.  Let's hope we can do that even more in our world.


Bro. Trey